This application claims benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. JP10-252672 filed Sep. 7, 1998, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevator control panel device, in particular, to an elevator control panel device allowing the safe and easy pursuit of the maintenance check.
2. Description of the Background
In a conventional elevator, a machine room (penthouse) is provided at the upper end on top of an elevator shaft of the building wherein a cage ascends and descends. Provided in the machine room is a drive unit for the ascending and descending movement of the cage, and a control panel for controlling the elevator.
However, in the conventional configuration with the machine room provided at the upper end part of the shaft, the building height is increased due to the existence of the machine room, and thus it is disadvantageous in terms of the right of sunshine, the building capacity, and the like. That is, the machine room projects above the rooftop of the building, for example, possibly resulting in an infringement of the right to sunlight. Therefore, a machine-roomless elevator without a machine room installed at the upper end part of the shift, but wherein the drive unit and the control panel is installed in part of the space in the shaft, has been recently adopted.
While a doorjamb forming the entrance for the cage is provided on each floor of the building provided with the elevator, the conventional elevator is provided with a control panel, for controlling the elevator, inside the doorjamb of the hall of the uppermost floor in the machine-roomless elevator. Moreover, a rotatable panel door for opening/closing the front side of the control panel is provided at the inside front side of the doorjamb. A locking mechanism is provided in the panel door. At the time of a maintenance check, a maintenance worker unlocks the locking mechanism so as to open the panel door for operating the control panel.
However, the worker possibly may be interrupted during the performance of maintenance and may need to leave the control panel unattended. If the panel door then remains open while unattended, there is a risk of an accident by the intentional or inadvertent operator of the control panel by a third person other than the maintenance worker, and thus it is preferably for safety purposes that the panel door is always maintained in the closed state except during the time that the maintenance worker actually operates the control panel.
The doorjamb provided in the elevator hall, in general, has a height exceeding 2 m. Therefore, the panel door to be provided inside the doorjamb has a longitudinal shape with a large vertical span. However, in the conventional configuration, a part of the panel door is locked with the locking mechanism.
Moreover, the locking mechanism has a function of engaging and supporting the panel door mechanically, in addition to the function of prohibiting opening of the panel door. However, in the conventional configuration, since a locking mechanism is provided only in a part of the panel door, if the panel door is in the locked state and is opened by force or handled violently, distortion or deformation is generated between the upper and lower parts of the panel door.
An object of the present invention is to provide an elevator control panel device with reduced risk of an accident by the intentional or inadvertent operation of the control panel by a third person other than the maintenance worker.
This and other objects are achieved by providing a new and improved elevator control panel device, including an elevator control panel disposed in a doorjamb forming an entrance to the elevator in a building, a panel door rotatably pivoted via a hinge at a hinge side of the panel door and providing access to the control panel, an automatic closing mechanism configured to force the panel door in the closing direction so as automatically to close the panel door when the panel door is open, at least one lock provided for locking the panel door at an opposite side of the panel door opposite to the hinge side of the panel door, including a first member mounted on the panel door, and a second member mounted on the doorjamb, the first member being configured to engage the second member in a locked state automatically upon closing of the panel door.